UNC Track & Field/Cross Country 2025-2026
- Thread starter LakeHeel
- Start date
read the caption ; great insight into A track and field athlete’s journey
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Tough fist day for the men at NCAA East regionals as the first 3 of the 4 in day one events fail to advance. But Tomer Tarragano drops a PB in the 10K to close the night and graba the last qualifier spot to the NCAA championships!
Our two 5K plus and one discus men will compete on Friday.
the women kick off tomorrow.
the women kick off tomorrow.
It's ridiculous (and dangerous) how many runners there are in the 5000m finals at all these conference meets. 50-60 runners on the track is an absolute joke. Either run a preliminary heat or have a stricter minimum time.
None of the Friday men advance. The women will compete today in the 100MH, 800, 3K steeple and 5K
Paige wins the 800. Dips under 1:59 in doing so. Impressive.
Mascarelli with the fastest Steeplechase time.
Sjoberg and Brown both qualify for the 5K
Sjoberg and Brown both qualify for the 5K
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The UNC women made a huge jump in the T&F rankings to #31 thanks to season best performances from Paige (#2 nationally in 800M) and Mascarelli (#4 nationally in Steeplechase) in the East Regionals.
Last year we finished 34th with 8 points (just Paige 2nd place.)
If Mascarelli and Paige can finish with their season rankings in the final, then we would hypothetically score 13 points. That would have equated to a tie for 20th place last season. I also think Sjoberg is at least capable of scoring, though she has not pulled out that time this year so far.
Last year we finished 34th with 8 points (just Paige 2nd place.)
If Mascarelli and Paige can finish with their season rankings in the final, then we would hypothetically score 13 points. That would have equated to a tie for 20th place last season. I also think Sjoberg is at least capable of scoring, though she has not pulled out that time this year so far.
When I watch the T&F Championships I root for the top 10 teams to dominate every event. That way UNC can sneak into the top 20 with just 2-4 scoring players if there is less achievement from other middling teams like us.
Middling opponents cannot outright win an event. 10 points is hard for us to overcome. 10 points alone was tied for 24th last year in women, 30th for men. 10 points will be our bar to start having a meaningful score. That would be great for us if we get an event championship and get 10 in one event, but unlikely. And it is hard to accumulate 10 points total with so few potential All-Americans on our team if we do not have any podium finishes. So we need a 1-3 finish somewhere. Then you can tack on a few more points and get a top 25 result.
Scoring at the Championships
Top 16 is Second Team All-American, but no points accumulated. Zilch.
I wish they would change that. Expand the scoring to the top 16. something like 25 for the champion, 20 for 2nd, 18 for 3rd, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12. Then 10 for 9th, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. This would probably mean some B finals like in swimming to shorter track events.
Middling opponents cannot outright win an event. 10 points is hard for us to overcome. 10 points alone was tied for 24th last year in women, 30th for men. 10 points will be our bar to start having a meaningful score. That would be great for us if we get an event championship and get 10 in one event, but unlikely. And it is hard to accumulate 10 points total with so few potential All-Americans on our team if we do not have any podium finishes. So we need a 1-3 finish somewhere. Then you can tack on a few more points and get a top 25 result.
Scoring at the Championships
- 10
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Top 16 is Second Team All-American, but no points accumulated. Zilch.
I wish they would change that. Expand the scoring to the top 16. something like 25 for the champion, 20 for 2nd, 18 for 3rd, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12. Then 10 for 9th, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. This would probably mean some B finals like in swimming to shorter track events.
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I agree that they should expand scoring. Beyond the top 7-8 teams, it all depends on whether you have 2-3 standout athletes on a team of dozens. There’s really little motivation to build a roster of top10-20 athletes. Really all about getting one or two top athletes like when we had Strand and Wolfe. Or the years we had Gerraughty and Flanagan on the women’s side.
Jr Kosi Umerah finishes 12th in the Women’s Hammer first flight at 56.08. No points scored. Her season best may have finished on the podium today (still tBD) but it was not her day for a throw-of-a-lifetime.
updyae:
she finished 24rh which is HM A-A
Youmg also finishes 24the in Javelin, good for HM A-A, but no points.
updyae:
she finished 24rh which is HM A-A
Youmg also finishes 24the in Javelin, good for HM A-A, but no points.
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mascarelli (steeple) and Paige (800) both make the finals, in good position to score.
the 800 has an insanely good field this year.all the qualifiers were sub 2 min.
the announcers said Mascarelli has been battling injuries much of her career , but is finally healthy now. Similarly, Paige had an abdominal injury the indoor season, making her placing at all remarkable. But she too is now healthy.
the 800 has an insanely good field this year.all the qualifiers were sub 2 min.
the announcers said Mascarelli has been battling injuries much of her career , but is finally healthy now. Similarly, Paige had an abdominal injury the indoor season, making her placing at all remarkable. But she too is now healthy.
the UNC women run today. If we finish according to seed we are projected to earn 12 points and finish 23rd:
that is:
4 points for 5th place by Mascarelli in the Steeple ar 8:24 EST
8 points for 2nd place by Paige in the 800 at 9:14
0 points for Sjoberg and Brown in the 5000 at 9:55
Immediately after the 5000 the closing race is the 4x400 where we did not qualify, but worth watching to see who passes us in team ranking.
projections:
flash-results-projections.web.app
meet times and results:
Streaming on ESPN:
www.espn.com
that is:
4 points for 5th place by Mascarelli in the Steeple ar 8:24 EST
8 points for 2nd place by Paige in the 800 at 9:14
0 points for Sjoberg and Brown in the 5000 at 9:55
Immediately after the 5000 the closing race is the 4x400 where we did not qualify, but worth watching to see who passes us in team ranking.
projections:
Flash Results, Inc. | Projections
meet times and results:
Streaming on ESPN:
NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (Women's Day 2) (6/13/26) - Live Stream - Watch ESPN
Watch the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (Women's Day 2) live from ESPN2 on Watch ESPN. Live stream on Saturday, June 13, 2026.
www.espn.com
Paige shaves over a half second off her personal best and logs a time so fast it would have won the title every year except last year… and this one.
incredibly it is merely the 4th best time today because two women broke the NCAA record today.
what a season and a career for Paige. She repeats with her 4th 1st team A-A honor and our only first teamer in outdoors this year.
incredibly it is merely the 4th best time today because two women broke the NCAA record today.
what a season and a career for Paige. She repeats with her 4th 1st team A-A honor and our only first teamer in outdoors this year.
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Mascarelli finishes 9th in the steeple just one place from scoring and 1st team A-A status. But she earns 2nd team status.
Sjoberg (14th) and Brown (16th) are also 2nd team A-A’s in the 5000.
The UNC women log 6 with some level of A-A status, but only Paige scores and we wind up only 45th on the final team score with 5 points from Paige.
Sjoberg (14th) and Brown (16th) are also 2nd team A-A’s in the 5000.
The UNC women log 6 with some level of A-A status, but only Paige scores and we wind up only 45th on the final team score with 5 points from Paige.
Mascarelli finishes 9th in the steeple just one place from scoring and 1st team A-A status. But she earns 2nd team status.
Sjoberg (14th) and Brown (16th) are also 2nd team A-A’s in the 5000.
Incidentally, the 5000 race winner Lemngole was DQ’d for stepping out at some point in the race. I did not see it but it had to be pretty meaningless; she won the race by a wide margin. In addition to her losing a title, bama dropped from 6th to 15th as a team. Crazy.
The UNC women log 6 with some level of A-A status, but only Paige scores and we wind up only 45th on the final team score with the 5 points from Paige.
ACC teams in the top 25:
Clemson 15th (20)
FSU 19th (15)
Stanford 24th (11)
Dook 24th (11)
Sjoberg (14th) and Brown (16th) are also 2nd team A-A’s in the 5000.
Incidentally, the 5000 race winner Lemngole was DQ’d for stepping out at some point in the race. I did not see it but it had to be pretty meaningless; she won the race by a wide margin. In addition to her losing a title, bama dropped from 6th to 15th as a team. Crazy.
The UNC women log 6 with some level of A-A status, but only Paige scores and we wind up only 45th on the final team score with the 5 points from Paige.
ACC teams in the top 25:
Clemson 15th (20)
FSU 19th (15)
Stanford 24th (11)
Dook 24th (11)
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The young women who won the 800 and who shattered the NCAA record yesterday gave a blue print on how to better your times in this event. She is African and she said her coach had her to run cross country this past year. I think Chris should do the same with our ladies who are running the 800m. Have those young ladies to run cross country.
Did not realize that Shalane Flanagan is the distance coach for Oregon track. That's a pretty plum gig, given the Ducks' distance running tradition.
And Allen Johnson is NC A&T's track and field director.
And Allen Johnson is NC A&T's track and field director.
Did not know about Johnson. A&T always has a really strong team, often making a mark on the NCAA championships.
Those two are on the Mount Rushmore of UNC track.
Interesting article on how the 5in5 rule would have affected this past year's NCAA CC championships: 1/4 of the A-A's would have been ineligible. Going forward, it may cut back a little on the number of international ringers.
JJ Olivera placed 17th at NCAA’s while at HPU this year. Should have two seasons of eligibility remaining(rising redshirt junior)
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